Viral 'BBC Dad' Shows Off New Photos Of His Very Grown-Up Looking Kids—And Fans Are Stunned

Ah, 2017. We were younger. We were innocent. We thought accidentally announcing La La Land instead of Moonlight as Best Picture was about as chaotic as things could get.

Then “covfefe” happened. Salt Bae happened. And somewhere in Busan, South Korea, a 4-year-old girl confidently marched into her father’s live BBC interview and straight into internet history.

We had absolutely no idea what the next few years had in store for us, and neither did Professor Robert E. Kelly.

On March 10, 2017, the Pusan National University political science professor appeared live on BBC World News from his home office to discuss the impeachment of South Korean President Park Geun-hye.

It was supposed to be a serious interview. Kelly was suited up and talking politics as usual, but there was one tiny problem: He normally locked his office door before going live.

This time, he forgot, and 4-year-old Marion saw her opening:

- YouTubeBBC News

Marion marched in, then baby James rolled in like he’d been summoned. Mama came flying into the room with energy that was deeply relatable to parents of young kids.

She grabbed the baby, grabbed the kid, and got everybody out, all while Dad kept talking politics.

The clip racked up more than 65 million views, Marion became a meme in her own right, interview requests poured in, and an uncanceled The Ellen Show came calling. The attention got so intense that Marion’s kindergarten even brought in a security guard.

And while the internet was losing it, Kelly was worried about other matters:

“We thought it was a disaster. We thought no TV network would ever call us again.”

Fortunately, Kelly’s career survived. He continued teaching political science at Pusan National University, and media outlets eventually returned to calling on him for expert analysis of Korean politics and international relations.

But what became of the two adorable rugrats who turned Dad’s very serious interview into comedy gold?

Nine years passed while none of us were paying attention, apparently:

Yep, that’s Marion and James. Kelly shared a birthday selfie with both kids, a hiking shot with James, a very grown-up-looking Marion, and a sweet photo with Jung-A Kim—aka “BBC Mom”—at a street festival.

And because the photos weren’t enough to make us question the passage of time, James is now 10, and Marion is 13.

In an interview posted last year, Dad updated on life after the viral video:

The family hasn’t completely disappeared from the spotlight. Kelly has occasionally shared updates over the years, and in 2020, the whole crew returned to the BBC to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic—with the kids once again bringing a little chaos.

The professor has remained grateful for all the love his family received:

“As always, my wife & I are very grateful for all the kind remarks over the years about our children.”

Frankly, 2017 gave us plenty we’d rather forget—looking at you, first Trump term—but these kiddos? We’ll keep them. And apparently, the internet agrees.

But the fact that those kiddos are somehow now 10 and 13?

We’re going to need a minute:

Nine years later, Kelly has accepted that “BBC Dad” may be a title for life. He’s regularly been stopped for photos, but one encounter is difficult to top.

Kelly recalled perhaps his most unexpected fan interaction:

“A cop in South Korea once pulled me over to ask for a selfie.”

Kelly has described the strange reality of becoming a “quasi-celebrity” without really doing anything to earn it, though he considers his family lucky that their 15 minutes of fame came from something positive.

Back in 2018, he predicted that “BBC Dad” was a nickname he’d probably carry for the rest of his life.

Considering we’re still checking in on him and his kids nine years later, Professor Kelly clearly knew a thing or two.